Gallery Visits (Field Trip Part 2)

EyeBeam

This "gallery" is in Chelsea and focuses primarily on art, new media, and technology and how all three come together. The space serves as the home to a number of fellowships that the non-profit gallery offers to artists willing to work on projects that incorporate technology into art. It seemed to me more of a place of research and exploration rather than a typical gallery. We saw a number of demonstrations from various artists, but were unable to see finished results as the space was still undergoing installation. One project in particular that I found quite interesting was a performance piece staging a sort of game show involving YouTube videos. While this concept is hard to explain on the blog, basically the artists created ways to compete based on who shows a "better" YouTube video. This type of art is not my area of expertise but was nevertheless highly entertaining to see.

BitForms

Group shows are always interesting because it shows how a number of different artists have different ideas or views on a universal concept. The woman who spoke to us, the Director, also curated the show and I was quite impressed with her passion and intellect when discussing the intentions behind the show. Much like EyeBeam, we saw this exhibit while it was still undergoing installation. It reminded me of my own experiences with installation at Kate Werble Gallery where I interned about a year ago. Once again, this type of art is rather foreign to me but I really enjoyed learning about it and hope to return to the space later for future shows on a quest to explore more about this subject.

PostMasters

Out of all three galleries that we visisted this was perhaps the most traditional in its setup and the people that worked there. The Director was French (typical) and the ambience just exuded Chelsea to the extreme. I can only imagine what openings at the gallery are like. Anyways, this was a solo show featuring works from a Brooklyn based artist named Chester French. The most interesting piece in my opinion was a scale model of constellations as they were documented thousands of years ago around the time of the Trojan war in Troy. Fich delved into greek literature in order to trace documentations of what the night sky at that time may have looked like. Once he mapped out a hypothetical solution he used lights and tin cans to create a night sky that was suspended from cords attached to the ceiling. By laying down on the ground and looking up the idea is that the viewer would travel back in time to see stars. While I am not sure how this is all related to new media other than the concept of data visualization, I am very happy that we got a chance to go.

Class Field Trip Part 1

The Gehry Building

I really enjoyed walking by this - especially because when we did it was practically dark outside. Buildings always seem much more beautiful to me when they are illuminated from the inside - it breathes life into them. I had seen this building previously along with some other Gehry designed buildings around the city. On a more general note, when I think about all the wonderful architecture that exists throughout the city I get super psyched. I'm from Los Angeles, where in all honesty there is not a wide variety of aw-inspiring architecture. Everything there is so bland, predictable, and recycled. I'm not inspired. But when I walk around New York I am constantly confronted with new, exciting, and much more charming structures that are a part of the city for everyone in the world to see. I hope others enjoyed this experience as well.

The Highline Park

If you haven't been here yet, you need to go. It is a park set on top of old elevated train tracks. A lot of the original design has been incorporated giving the park a very industrial feel. It is a totally cliche Meatpacking District destination. If you like that sort of scene then you will love it. I've also been on dates here, and I must say its a really cool place to take someone you are interested in. There are so many visual things to spark conversation or thought, and the view of the skyline is absolutely incredible.

Epic. Inspired. Crazy.

I think this is the best pop video the emerge in years. Say what you want about the genre and the quality of pop music these days, but GaGa knows what she is doing. She works the system better than anyone else at the moment. It's brillz!

Edward Hopper

He is one of my favorite artists for sure - anyone who knows me well probably knows this. As a painter myself, I have always been fascinated by his technique and use of color. I have tried to emulate his style numerous times obviously none of them ending up quite as successful. Below is a short piece I wrote in response to an article by my favorite art critic: Peter Schjeldahl. He writes for the New Yorker and is still active today even though this article is a few years old.

Hopperesque

“Hopperesque” is the title of an essay written by Peter Schjeldahl. Schjeldahl begins by discussing Hopper’s style, or truly lack thereof. In an effort to keep up with the more advanced European style, Hopper combined “formal rudiments of postimpressionism with a meager American store with pictorial authenticities.” The result is chilling. If one were to be in a museum gazing, in a line, at all the pictures on a wall, one would inevitably stop at the Hopper painting and recognize it immediately. However, Hopper does not have a distinct, innovative style according to professional opinion. It is his unique point of view on naturalism that is so characteristic of his work.

Hopper is not a true realist, as one might suspect. While he physically tries to portray his characters and buildings as accurately and realistically as possible, he is more of a naturalist. His work is not the result of careful observation, it is the work of “imagination-powered metteur en scene, a stage or film director blocking in the vision of a final effect to be reached through cunning labor.” Hopper acts like a film director in the sense that he chooses what is going to be depicted in his work, the nature of the human gazes, and level of reality present overall. Realism doesn't involve artistic interpretation, which counts Hopper out.

The nature of Hopper’s work is seen differently among different individuals. The two most popular interpretations are that his work is filled with either loneliness (as much of his more important works were created during the depression era) or seclusion. Schjeldahl and I agree on our interpretations. Hopper’s work is not so much about loneliness as it is about seclusion. The reason is that no matter how alone these images may seem, there are always clues to indicate a somewhat upbeat environment. Take the windows for example. There is always light depicted inside indicating that someone is in there, that the house is not abandoned or empty. His structures breathe life. In addition, the light that exists in his paintings in general indicates an environment that would not be lonely. Schjeldahl ultimately suggests that we should “waste no pity on those houses.”

New Music Series, Part 2!

Meet The XX.

I'll let the music speak for itself. Enjoy!

Music Worth Exploring Series Part 1

I'm going to be doing a series on artists that I enjoy and/or know about. I will include brief blurbs on each one that I have written to give you an idea of what you can expect. Feel free to comment on whether or not you like what I post I'm always up for feedback.

Florence & The Machine

Florence & The Machine first developed recognition through live performances at music festivals across Europe. Consequently, Lungs quickly hit Platinum in the UK making Florence one of the biggest stories of 2009. Florence was recently declared an ‘Artist to Watch in 2009’ by Rolling Stone and was also the winner of the 2009 Critics Choice Award at the Brits. Her debut album has since appeared on numerous ‘Top Albums of 2009’ lists both domestically and internationally. Lungs was released earlier this summer in the UK and landed at the number 2 position for its first five weeks on the charts, behind only Michael Jackson.

With Lungs, Florence has provocatively created a world within her music filled with crushing, all-encompassing, emotionally charged journeys. She enlisted the help of superstar producers Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Kate Nash), Steve Mackey (Pulp), and James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco, Artic Monkeys) to create a crafty balance of chirpy melody and bloody rage on the debut album.

Listen Here

Madcon

Hailing from South Africa, Madcon’s musical style is dubbed as a retro-urban-mix with influences from funk, soul and hip hop (with additional elements and vibes from Reggae, Latin and African). Currently based in Norway, Madcon has created remarkable hype by supporting various international superstars like: Destiny's Child, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Wu-Tang Clan, Xzibit, Saian Supa Crew, Clipse, Redman, Busta Rhymes, and the legendary Gangstarr. As a result, the group has become a European sensation.

Madcon’s first single “Beggin,” hit #1 in France and Norway while gracing the top 5 in both the UK and Germany for several weeks. The duo is also the winner of a 2008 World Music Award, and has been nominated for 2 Energy Awards.

Listen Here

Quote of the Day

“Counsel woven into the fabric of real life is wisdom.”

- Walter Benjamin

A Response to Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"

Works of art have in theory always been reproducible. However, during the course of history new means and methods of this reproduction have developed that significantly alter not only the original work of art but the copy as well. Tracing the tools of reproduction from human hands to the camera Benjamin ultimately ends with the conclusion that current modes of duplication result in the loss of the “here and now”. Benjamin suggests that as a result of this absence mechanical copies of original artworks lose their unique existence in space and time thus no longer bear the mark of history.

Benjamin identifies an object’s aura as its sphere of authenticity and authority. These two words recur throughout the essay and at times it is rather unclear whether their escape should be seen as a positive or negative development amongst the masses. When an object loses its authenticity it therefore is severed from its roots in tradition or ritual – the latter of which Benjamin identifies as parasitic (Section V). When tradition, cult, or ritual are no longer a defining aspect of an object’s existence or exhibition the entire social function of any given artwork is revolutionized. In some respects one could suppose that objects are thus divorced of any divinity or timeless significance. But Benjamin believes that this new revolution of sorts will allow opportunities for exhibition to expand into the masses.

Benjamin’s discussion of quantity versus quality was a particularly troubling aspect of his essay as it was mixed with certain nostalgia for artworks past yet a passionate interest in trends future. In his discussion of aura and authenticity Benjamin references early daguerreotype photographs, which are the only technologically produced photographs that exhibit a sense of authority. He describes this unique quality to the photographs as extraordinarily beautiful, and greets them with a sense of excitement and respect. This high level of auratic respect never seems to carry into descriptions of later art forms Benjamin discusses. However, he does note that in the contemporary era masses seem to prefer quantity to quality as it provides a completely different interactive experience that is not bad but rather fascinating. This conflicting discussion forced me to wonder: is the abandonment of the aura bad?

While tracing defining developments in new art forms over time Benjamin clearly becomes fascinated by the medium of film. Film is vastly different from its closest relative, photography, because it does not capture a specific point in time. It is the antithesis of a work created in a single stroke. Furthermore, traditional still camera’s produced an image that was taken from only one vantage point. Films (both sound and silent) are conversely created from scenes shot multiple times from various angles. Actors no longer perform original pieces in front of audiences but rather scenes that can be manipulated, rearranged, doctored, or deleted by producers, editors, directors, and cinematographers working on any given film. The entire process of making films is thus reliant upon the idea of intervention (Section X).